Remember all the blackploitation films from the seventies? The white movie executives figured if they put black people in lead roles that they could get them out to see movies. The films were extremely low budget and since the were written, directed and produced by old white dude, the films were racist, simple and plain to the point where I did a dissertation in college about racism in pop culture and featured clips of Shaft (if you want to see something really offensive, go to you library and hunt down old Bugs Bunny cartoons from the twenties and thirties, seriously, when I showed those to the class, everyone’s jaw was on the floor).
Fast forward three decades and now there is the CodeBlack Entertainment which is also making movies targeting the hip-hop generation, but this time around the movies are being written, directed and produced by people of color. Of course if you are not a BET regular viewer (I’ve stopped watching ever since they stopped airing 227 reruns) it is doubtful you have heard any of their movies. If you happened upon the channel last Halloween you may have seen the production company’s horror film, Somebody Help Me.
The story follows two friends, Omari Grandberry (whom you may or may not know better as Omarion) and Marques Houston (Sister, Sister) who take their girlfriends up to one of their uncle’s cabin (pay attention to the uncle’s name, I had to rewind to see if I heard what I really heard) to celebrate the twenty-first birthday of Brooklyn Sudano (My Wife and Kids). Of course things go wrong when their friends venture out of the cabin to have sex (which we don’t get to see, why have a horror movie complete with gore and F-bombs but no gratitutous nudity?) but don’t return in the morning, then one by one all of the friends are gone.
Somebody Help Me mixes three horror sub-genres as suspense, torture porn, and the more classic approach. The problem is they don’t go all the way on any of them. The torture porn doesn’t go far enough to satisfy the Hostel fans, the suspense rarely holds up because it isn’t hard to see what is coming and it doesn’t help that the friends just disappear, we don’t see anyone actually get kidnapped until late in the way too long (100 minutes) film.
The movie is at its best when they go into classic horror movie with heroes that continually make stupid choices like when they drop the shotgun they are carrying for no apparent reason. Or the inept police station where they are not allowed to talk about something mysterious that happened in the past. Then there is the bizarre appearance of a creepy young white girl (although not The Ring creepy) who for some reason only shows up every half an hour.
The movie really is only for horror addicts who need a fix until the next Saw comes out or Omarion and Houston fanatic who needs to pick up everything they do. But really Somebody Help Me is about as good as you would expect from the writer, director and stars that brought us You Got Served.
Last we saw of Kyle and the crew back in September, Jessi had just taken all the information in Kyle’s head and promptly jumped off a cliff, we learned Adam Baylin is still alive, the Tragers started to piece together all the weird things Kyle has done, and Amanda was getting ready to go to a music program. Of course if you want to review the whole last episode that aired, you can download Leap of Faith for free on iTunes. And of course if you want to review the whole first season, check out my Kyle XY DVD Giveaway. As for the second season, ABC Family is running a marathon this Monday.
And of course Monday also sees the midseason premiere of Kyle XY, To C.I.R. with Love. The episode opens right where they left of with Kyle looking over the cliff that Jessi just jump from. Did she survive the jump? Well you will have to watch, but you get a definitive answer about half way through the episode. Here are some other things you can expect on Monday:
Warning: Mild Spoilers Ahead
- Kyle fills in the gap to the Tragers of what is going on.
- Kyle goes after MadaCorp during their open house.
- As you can tell by the title of the episode, the C.I.R. machine makes an appearance.
- Lori decides to go after the first cute boy she sees.
- Andy makes an appearance.
- Josh gives us way too much information.
- There seems to be a new boss at MadaCorp.
- Somebody leaves town (but maybe not who you think).
- We learn the name of the girl in the picture at the diner (who looks like Jessi) and who took the picture.
End Spoilers
Below is a promo for the next episode and don’t forget to enter my Kyle XY Contest before it ends next Friday the 18th.
There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I though I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form so here they are courtesy of YouTube. I advise you to watch them before you read my reviews if you don’t want me to spoil things. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available, if not the link goes to YouTube where you can watch the video in full screen). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.
Hopefully this song isn’t a bad omen for 2008 because it really isn’t the best way to start of the New Year with the mannequin that Ashlee Simpson has become. But then again, I cannot imagine how anyone could make a song worth than this aside from Ashlee herself. It just shows you how messed up the music business is when they are pushing a reputed lip-syncer down our throats again even after her last album bombed as bad as her Saturday Night Live performance. As for the video, if I were Salvator Dail, I would sue.
Now onto some actual good music. This song appeared on Kanye West’s mixtape last year and even though it is doubtful we will get an actual album from CRS anytime soon, this Thom York sampled track definitely wets the palette and make me reminisce about the early nineties when there actual great rap crews, not just one decent rapper and his crappy friends that populate the rap landscape this decade.
Apparently January is the month where England exports all their lasses with attitude problems. Last years saw debut albums from Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen and this year’s version is Kate Nash. It is yet to be seen if by the end of 2008 she will be knocked up or in rehab, but unlike her countrymen, she like to tell it like is and in true fiery redhead style. But unlike Winehouse or Allen, Nash actually plays an instrument, the piano to be exact, which makes her sound more Regina Spektor than something produced by Mark Ronson.
Nash does follow the two songstresses’ career projectory so far being a huge hit in her native country, going three singles deep, before having even the slightest bit of name recognition in the states. That should all change with the American release of Made of Bricks. This will mostly be thanks to the first single Foundations, an ode to a broken relationship that Nash just can’t let go of even though he calls her rude names in a crowded restaurants where she responds that she would rather hook up with his mates.
Unlike her counterparts, Nash actually sings about the brighter side of love on Pumpkin Soup where she repeats to a potential beau that “I just want your kiss boy.” The track bounces along thanks to some well placed horns which makes it closest thing to a Ronson produced track on the album. Even though the piano is the main instrument on Made of Bricks, Nash pulls out an acoustic guitar to great effects for the beautifully tender Birds and the heartbreaking Nicest Thing. She goes even more stripped down for (Expletive Deleted)head which is pretty laughable in a good way.
Also different from her predecessors whose albums were full of listenable songs, Nash’s debut is a bit uneven as there are a couple of skipable songs, the opening Play is basically unnecessary and (Expletive Deleted) Song just goes one step too far. With that said Nash may not have the clever lyrics of Allen or the soulful voice of Winehouse, but the musicianship could make her a force in the future. Well that is if she can stay out of the tabloids.
Here we are a week into the New Year, but I want to take one last look at 2007 (for full Best and Worst of the year, be sure to click on the Best of 2007 label at the bottom of the post). First my annual list of artists that had the most impact on be over the past twelve months:
Top Artists of the Year
1. Lily Allen (Best Song: 1, 8, 12, 18, 66; Best Album: 3; Best Video: 5, 11, 15, 23; Best Performance: 25): Just to show how much impact Lily Allen had on me this year, in twelve years of making Best Songs of the Year list, no artist has had more than two songs in the top twenty let alone four. And it looks like many of you liked her too because as you can see below, her album review was the third most viewed post of the year.
2. Kanye West (Best Song: 3, 6, 53, 72, 87; Best Album: 5; Best Mash Up: 21; Best Video: 1, 4, 18; Reader’s Poll: 2; Best Performance: 15): Even though not nearly as good as his first two albums, Graduation still ranks in the top ten best rap albums this decade. And no other artist had a better viral year thanks to his internet only videos for Can’t Tell Me Nothin’ and his remix for Throw Some D’s.
3. Amy Winehouse (Best Song: 4, 29, 50, 92; Best Album: 6; Best Mash Up: 9; Reader’s Poll: 3; Best Performance: 23): Yeah she went neck and neck with Britney Spears for most clinically insane celebrity of the year, but unlike Spears, Winhouse managed to put out a great album this year.
4. Alicia Keys (Best Song: 10, 24; Best Album: 1; Best Mash Up: 15; Best Live Performance: 1, 9, 14, 20): As I Am may not lived up to expectations, but it was good enough to land her the best album of the year. Also she ripped off some great performances to promote it.
5. Ryan Adams (Best Song: 5, 21, 42, 90; Best Album: 4; Best Video: 10): A year and a half was the longest hiatus of his career and the extra time paid off with East Tiger being his best album in a while. Of course then Adams promptly released an EP not that long after. We will have to wait to see if he goes back to three albums in 2008.
Next some self congratulatory some with the most read posts and such here on the 9th Green. I was going to have the most popular searches, but nine of the top ten were some sore of play on “Best Songs of 2006” with the only other being Megan Hauserman in the nine spot, so that seemed silly to post. But here are the other best of the best. First a note between Most Read Feeds and Most Viewed Posts, the Feeds are based on who is accessing my feed, most likely through a feed reader (but some pirated) where Posts are people who actually came to the 9th Green, and if there are on the top, it is most likely because of Google.
Lastly, for those interested in the Best Songs of 2007 (click here to download the songs) to fit on a single CD, here would be the tracklist which would come in at 78:18 (note: the songs are in reverse order as if counting down the tracks).
1. Everybody Knows - Ryan Adams 2. Dumb it Down - Lupe Fiasco 3. Love Song - Sara Bareilles 4. LDN - Lily Allen 5. Look After You - The Fray 6. Brianstorm - Arctic Monkeys 7. The Game - Common 8. The Underdog - Spoon 9. Our Song - Taylor Swift 10. Alfie - Lily Allen 11. Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen 12. No One - Alicia Keys 13. Read My Mind - The Killers 14. Oh My God - Mark Ronson featuring Lily Allen 15. Tennessee - The Wreckers 16. Stronger - Kanye West 17. Two - Ryan Adams 18. Rehab - Amy Winehouse 19. Can’t Tell Me Nothing - Kanye West 20. Dreaming with a Broken Heart - John Mayer 21. Drivin’ Me Wild - Common featuring Lily Allen
Scooter Note: This contest is over. Congratulations to Doug from New Jersey. Be sure to check back later for other contests.
For those that may not have gotten all they wanted for Christmas, I have one more present to give away that may make things better. In honor of the return of Kyle XY a week from today, Monday, January 14, 2008 at 8/7c (which is preceded by an all day marathon), I have a prize package to away that includes (for an idea of feautures such as bonus features and track lists, or just want to buy now click the links):
This is a perfect post Christma gift for any Kyle XY fan or any TV fan that needs something new to watch to get through the writer’s strike. Now you know what you will be getting, here are the two ways you can enter (you can enter two times, once each way):
1. We are a week or so into the New Year, what is your resolution for 2008?
2. Mention and link this contest on a blog or message board. (Any link must be posted at least 48 hours before the conclusion of the contest and only one link per message board or blog; feel free to use the badge to the right).
You can e-mail your entries to ScooterKSU(at)aol(dot)com (subject: Kyle XY). If you link the contest, make sure you let me know you did in your e-mail where so you get credited with an entry. You may enter the contest twice (once each way). The contest ends Friday, January 18 at 11:59 PM EST. The winner will be picked at random from all eligible entries and will be contacted shortly after. Also this contest is only open to people with shipping addresses in the Untied States.
Enough with the legal mumbo jumbo, I have actually seen the midseason premiere which I will be writing about in the next couple days. For those that want to go back and rewatch the last episode before the show comes back, as I write this you can download Leap of Faith for free on iTunes if you do not want to wait for the marathon to watch it. Also below is a preview trailer and some cast stills or you can just head over to the official site. You can also check out my Preview of the midseason premiere.
Quote of the Week: If you ever look at her, even tonight again, at school, anytime, I swear to God I’ll end you. Are we cool? No, seriously, that way. (Riggins, Friday Night Lights)
Song of the Week: Short Skirt/Long Jacket - Cake (Waitress, since the lack of actual television, I had to go with a movie I watched this week. I may not getting around to a full review, but if you want to be gruntle, you should definitely hunt down this movie)
Big News of the Week: Scooter McGavin Endorses Joe Biden Who Promptly Drops Out: Yeah, that didn’t work out well. So I guess I need another Democrat to back. I think I’ll go with John Edwards if only because his daughter Cate (click to check out her blog) is what I like to refer to as moderately attractive. Speaking of potential first daughters who I would like to salute, John McCain’s daughter Meghan (seriously, do you have to be a bad spell you’re kids weird to run for president) started up her own YouTube account, here is one of her vlogs:
Tapeworthy: It's the new year and everybody seems to have a best of list and Vance LIVES to make Best of Lists as if they actually mattered. So here are his picks for the Best Movies, Best Music and Best Television of 2007! Happy New Year!
The TV Addict: Picked his favorite shows of 2007. Made some outlandish predictions for 2008 and started the craze that's sweeping the nation: TV Addicts Anonymous. Only together we can survive the WGA Strike!
Sunday Night Football: It is already cheap when you pull your starters like the Indianapolis Colts did in the last game of the season, but it is done right immoral to just lay down like Kerry Collins said Tony Dungy did against the Tennessee Titians when he conceded to Jeff Fisher. If Bill Belichicken gets a fine and loses draft picks for cheating, so should Dungy in this blatant example of collusion. In fact Peyton Manning and all the other Colts that sat should have to give up one game’s salary and have it divvied up everyone in the stands who actually paid for what ended up being a glorified exhibition game with a bunch a scrubs playing the game.
Adding insult to injury, the Cleveland Browns lost a playoff spot due to a tiebreaker to the Titans even though they barely even beat what boils down to a replacement team. What makes thing worse is that this shouldn’t have even been a tiebreaking situation because the Browns got jobbed twice this season with the cheap time out call at the end of the Oakland Raiders game and the Arizona Cardinal game was decided by the only person on God’s green Earth who didn’t think Kellen Winslow Jr. wasn’t pushed out of bounds.
Friday Night Lights: I don’t think it is a coincidence that the best episode of the season came after the finally wrapped up the Landry murder plot line. So much to enjoy this week: Riggins fixing the cable to get porn, attacking the dude who urinated in his locker, Aunt Shells lusting over him, the cheesy 80’s Garrity family montage, Buddy and Coach at the Laundromat, Landry starting a brawl, Tyra pulling Richard Simmons by the hair, her dress at the formal, drunk Julie, ping-pong, Coach threatening Other Coach. The only misstep was Landry’s speech at formal which was basically the exact same speech he gave to Tyra at the Roast last season. But seriously, can they work out some deal like Worldwide Pants to get the Friday Night Lights writer their own deal so they can get back to work? Check out the latest episodes over at NBC.com.
New Hampshire Debates: I’m not sure if this was the best or worst debate ever. It was good because Charlie Rose just let the candidates talk over each other and it almost seemed like Rose wanted to debate more than be an actual moderator. It was bad because I don’t think it really accomplished anything although the candidate’s postures were telling. Mitt Romney looked beaten down, John McCain’s reaction shots were hilarious especially whenever nut job Ron Paul was allowed to talk, and Chelsea Clinton looked about as bored as I did whenever Hilary started to talk. As for winner, on the Republican side I’d go with Fred Thomson if only because he looked alive for the first time in his campaign and on the Democrat side, I’d like to say Bill Richardson won, but I fear if nominated they might bring Horatio Sanz to Saturday Night Live, so I’ll say John Edwards won. Don’t forget to check out who I, Scooter McGavin, Endorsed earlier this week.
This week I uploaded all of my pictures from my set visit to Veronica Mars to my Facebook and MySpace accounts, so if you want to see them you will have to befriend me. Also don’t forget to check out my preview of When Weather Changed History. And don’t forget to check out tomorrow when I announce a big contest.
I would also point out the Blogger recently allowed Open ID commenting so now if you have an AOL/Aim, LiveJournal, TypeKey, Wordpress or any other Open ID account, you can now comment using those. So feel free to give it a test run if you have one and would like to comment on the 9th Green.
Promo of the Week: Not only did Biden drop out of the presidential race right after I endorsed him, I didn’t come across this campaign ad until after I mad my endorsement which may have changes who got mine:
Now there is a Bubba I could vote for.
Next Week’s Pick: My Name Is Earl, Thursday at 8:00 on NBC: Earl and the gang returns for the first episode of 2008 and possibly the last one we will see for awhile as it was the last episode they filmed before they ran out of scripts due to the writers strike.
Near the end of last year VH1 unveiled their 100 Greatest Songs of the 90’s which I have still haven’t seen all of it yet because I know I would spend too much complaining what did and did not make the list. Right around the time that I aired, a song from that decade popped up on random on my iPod that made stop and go, “wow that was a great song.” Now I’m not sure if Summertime by The Sundays made VH1’s list, in the parts I’ve seen it wasn’t, but it definitely should have.
If you are currently in a winter doldrums, this is definitely the song to lift you up, but be warned you may find yourself singing, “And its you and me in the summertime, walking hand in hand down in the park” which may garner some weird looks by passerby’s when there is white stuff on the ground as the song is a less cheesy version of Walking on Sunshine. But no matter what time of year, Summertime is certainly worth a listen.
And a note to all the female karaoker out there, singing with your hands behind your back like in the video below is uber-cute. Although for the dudes, if you try this, you will end up looking like a tool like Liam Gallagher.
Sometimes it is odd to see an artist destined for greatness just fall completely off the Earth. Lauryn Hill ruled the world with a streak from 1996 to 1998 from singing hook for Nas to The Score, the breakout Fugees album, to her one smash debut album. But ever since the landmark album, Hill sightings have been almost akin to far and few in-between from her Unplugged 2.0 album to a duet with Method Man to the disastrous Fugees reunion to a song on the penguin surfing movie Surf's Up of all things. The closest she has come to getting back into popular culture was when Kanye West used an interpolation from her song Mystery of Iniquity for his song All Falls Down (to which she refused permission for the sample leading to Syleena Johnson to sing the hook).
But being a two time one-album wonder with her group and on her own is a novelty in itself. Not that The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a novelty in terms of the music making it this month’s induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame. Many artist before and Hill and after have tried to combine the hip-hop beats with R&B songs but no one has come close to doing it as good as Hill. This is best exemplified on Doo Wop (That Thing) where she brings the horns and piano heavy sound from the Stax era and harmonizes with herself with the raps going to town and guys and girls with alternative motives when it come to the other sex. This is only heightened by the brilliant seamless spit screen video.
The album starts off with Lauryn calling out someone on Lost One (Wyclef maybe, “I was on the humble, you was on every station”) with a hip-hop meets reggae vibe. She flips it on Everything Is Everything with the same bounce using an orchestra to fulfill a beat which also featured a then unknown John Legend on the piano. Ex-Factor is a heart wrenching balled that put her up their as one of the best vocalist of the era. And it is when Lauryn slows it down and goes into full R&B mode where she truly shines also her on the D’Angelo duet Nothing Even Matters as well as the Carlos Santana assisted tribute to her son, To Zion.
It is also a sign of a great album when the hidden tracks are better than most artists’ singles. Lauryn take on the old Frankie Valli hit, Can’t Take My Eyes off You from the otherwise forgettable movie Conspiracy Theory may be the best take on the song. Then there is Tell Him should be in the running as most romantic song of the nineties and should be required for any baby-making mix tape for a long time coming. Who know if we will ever get another record from Lauryn Hill, it look even less likely with Wyclef recently blaming the Fugee failed reunion on her calling her bipolar and begging her mother to get her mental help, but at least she had her act together to draw out her Miseducation.
Have you ever thought to yourself, “The Weather Channel and The History Channels are cool, but I wish there was a way to combine them”? If so, first, we should totally hang out, and second, I have a show for you: When Weather Changed History premiering Sunday, January 6 at 9PM EST on the Weather Channel.
The concept of the show is pretty self explanatory and the first episode deals with the Challenger explosion which, even though I remember it vividly when it happened, I guess I was too young to follow up to every find out what exactly when wrong and never realized that weather was a factor in what happened that day. The show interviews a couple of people who were there and were working for NASA at the time as well as archive footage from the disaster and subsequent inquiry into what happened.
I have made it a habit of collecting front page newspaper of big events and the Challenger explosion was the very first I ever save so it was very interesting to go back two decades later and learn more about the tragedy. Below you can find a clip of the premiere episode, a press release about the show and a list of upcoming episodes:
NEW HD SERIES UNCOVERS WHEN WEATHER CHANGED HISTORY The Weather Channel® Series Features Weather’s Surprising Impact on Historic Events
Was the weather just too cold on the morning of the space shuttle Challenger’s launch to support a successful mission? Did a dust storm actually devastate a military operation and ultimately help shape a presidency? A new high-definition series on The Weather Channel (TWC) looks at the power of nature and its incredible impact on modern history.
When Weather Changed History, a series of one-hour suspenseful dramas, offers the often-surprising effects of weather on well known history events. TWC uncovers key moments with insider personal stories that disclose unexpected facts about history, revealing both mankind’s heroism and hubris. The dramatic documentary series starts Sunday, January 6, 2008, with an episode on the space shuttle Challenger. The series will air every Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET and 11 p.m. ET. History often repeats itself, so for the first time, the network will broadcast encore episodes of the premiere episode throughout launch week.
“While most people don’t realize it, weather has had such a dramatic impact on history,” said Janet Johnson, VP of long-form program planning and production at TWC. “This is a launch event like no other for The Weather Channel, and we wanted to give our loyal viewers, as well as those new to the channel, multiple opportunities to see this incredibly dramatic and surprising first episode.”
Each episode explores influential and exciting moments in history when the forces of weather intertwine with the forces of human nature to change the course of history. These weather-influenced experiences come from the fields of politics, exploration, the military, sports, entertainment and much more. The focus of the series is the epic struggle of man against the power of nature – and the dangers of underestimating that power.
“Each program engages viewers through strong drama, action video and stories of personal risk and heroism,” said Johnson. “This series delivers compelling content with all these qualities while including both the scientific facts and emotions involved with these events.”
When Weather Changed History joins existing programs on TWC, Epic Conditions and Weatherventures, as another program shot in native high definition that will be simulcast in HD and SD. When Weather Changed History episodes feature a daring South Pole rescue to secure medical treatment for the sole physician of an isolated research station, the Battle of the Bulge, the space shuttle Challenger, the race to Nome that inspired the modern-day Iditarod and the Mississippi flood of 1927. Other series focuses include the evacuation at Dunkirk during World War II, the capsized coal ship that sparked the creation of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Air Florida crash in the Potomac and the Delta 191 crash that changed commercial aviation and windshear detection, and Operation Eagle Claw in response to the Iran-Contra hostage crisis. Future planned episodes include the super tornado outbreak of 1974 and the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression.
An innovative new series from The Weather Channel spotlights the weather that has, quite literally, changed our world. Unexpected stories are told and highlight the ways in which the almighty power of nature has steered the march of history.
Challenger – Airing 1/6/2008 Jan. 28, 1986: The space shuttle Challenger and seven crewmembers prepare for its tenth flight into orbit. Despite colder than average temperatures, the mission is given the go ahead. Seventy-three seconds after take off, the shuttle suddenly explodes – to the shock of all those watching below – killing all seven crewmembers. NASA and an independent investigative commission determine that a combination of events, some triggered by the cold weather on launch day, caused the failure of the O rings on the shuttle. (Premiere episode: Sunday, Jan. 6, 9 p.m. ET)
Battle of the Bulge – Airing 1/13/2008 Dec. 1944 – Jan. 1945: In the largest, bloodiest land battle ever fought by American soldiers, more than 1.1 million American, British and German men take part and nearly 20,000 are killed. In mid-December, the American army is low on supplies when the well-equipped German army releases a surprise, brutal attack on the Americans. As desperate Nazi troops use the cover of severe winter weather to counterattack Allied forces, weather conditions also hinder American attacks. Then a fortuitous break in the weather finally enables them to defeat the Germans and destroy the Third Reich, impacting the outcome of World War II.
Air Florida Potomac Crash – Airing 1/20/2008 Jan. 13, 1982: Air Florida Flight 90, with 79 people onboard, takes off from Washington National Airport in a snowstorm. Seconds into the flight, the plane crashes into the icy Potomac River, killing 78 people, including four people on the ground. The crash of Flight 90 changes commercial aviation. In the wake of the tragedy, new communication protocols are developed and stricter de-icing guidelines are enacted, making air travel safer.
Operation Eagle Claw – Airing 1/27/2008 Nov. 4, 1979: Islamic extremists take 66 American hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran. The following April, military pilots engage in a mission for recovery in the Iranian desert. At first the weather is perfect, but after crossing the Iranian border, the helicopter and airplane pilots find themselves in the middle of a suspended dust storm called a haboob. Weather conditions and insufficient forecasting help cause disastrous results for “Operation Eagle Claw.”
Rescue from the South Pole – Airing 2/10/2008 Feb. 1999: Dr. Jerri Nielsen, 46, is living her dream as the sole physician to 41 staff members at an isolated South Pole research station. Dr. Nielsen discovers a lump in one of her breasts, which by June, has grown to the size of a golf ball. Pilot Maj. George McAllister and members of the 109th Air National Guard fly one of the earliest recorded flights to the South Pole, making a daring rescue in intense Antarctic conditions and zero visibility.
Dunkirk Evacuation – Airing 2/17/2008 May 26, 1940: The course of World War II is at stake as the British army attempts to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk, France, despite severe weather. Estimates are that only about 10 percent of the troops can successfully evacuate because smaller boats are needed. Thousands of British citizens with small civilian boats volunteer to help in the effort, and in nine days, more than three hundred thousand French and British soldiers are rescued.
Coast Guard Rescue – Airing 2/24/2008 Feb. 11, 1983: Just off the Virginia coast, the Marine Electric ship journeys to Massachusetts with 27,000 tons of coal. As a blizzard sweeps offshore, gale-force winds capsize the coal ship, leaving only a few crewmembers alive. The Congressional inquiry into the tragedy helps establish The Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer program. The program’s success and the Marine Electric’s legacy are apparent in 2005 when Coast Guard helicopter teams rescue Hurricane Katrina survivors.
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 - Airing 3/2/2008 Spring 1927: Perhaps America’s greatest natural disaster deeply changes race relations, government and society in the Mississippi River Valley. A flood of more than 30 feet of water stands over land inhabited by nearly one million people. Almost 300,000 African-Americans are forced to live in refugee camps for months. The changes produced by the flood in the lower South ultimately foreshadow federal government intervention in the region's social and economic life. Today, many draw parallels between Hurricane Katrina and the 1927 flood.
Delta 191 Crash – Airing 3/9/2008 Aug. 2, 1985: With 163 people onboard, Delta Flight 191 prepares to land at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport. Instead, it crashes about 100 yards from the runway, killing 137. Investigators later prove that just before landing, the plane flew into a weather phenomenon known as a microburst, generating the most violent form of wind shear. This conclusion leads to widespread improvements in wind shear detection and severe weather training for pilots.
Race to Nome – Airing 3/16/2008 Jan. 1925: A diphtheria epidemic threatens the region near Nome, Alaska, and the only hope is lifesaving medicine hundreds of miles away. In the middle of winter, the 700-mile dog sled trip is the only option available. At a time when it normally takes a musher 15-20 days to make the trip over the old Iditarod Trail while dogs and drivers encounter blizzards and 50-below-zero cold, this trip brings the serum to Nome in a record five days and seven hours. The modern-day dog sled race, the Iditarod, commemorates those dog teams and drivers.
Longtime readers to the 9th Green may not realize it, but the astute reader may notice the occasional political reference I try to drop into my otherwise pop culture reference heavy posts. Even though I rarely talk about it at lengths here, I am a big time political junky to the point that I would much rather hook up with Holly Bailey than Jessica Simpson, Jessica Alba or Jessica Tangy (if you don’t know who Holly Bailey is it is time to turn off E! and work in MSNBC every once in a while).
Of course the only problem with being a political junky these days is the politicians that get elected seem to get worse and worse with the last two presidential elections instead of voting who I thought would be the better leader, I was forced to instead vote for the dude I thought would mess up the country the least. This lead me in recent years to realize that all politicians cannot be trusted and the longer they stay in office the more corrupt they become (look at the two-term presidents since the institution of term limits, each had a major scandal: Scooter Libby, Monica Lewinski, Iran-Contra, Watergate, Tea Pot Dome).
And so I started my anti-incumbent stance when it came to election in that I would never vote for any candidate with that big (I) next to it. The only problem this time around is that there won’t be an incumbent to vote against in the presidential race. And the primaries, starting tomorrow, are extra important this year because there is an overabundance of horrible candidates this year which could lead to another Douche vs. a Turd Sandwich type showdown between Rudy Giuliani and Hilary Clinton.
So if you are an independent like me, is it very important this year, if your state has open primary elections (i.e. you do not have to be registered to either party, you just go in and say which ballot you want), that you make your voice heard so us in the middle, as in the vast majority of the country do not have to again choose between the person who we think will suck the least. Considering I won’t be able to vote until March, I’m not sure which primary I will be voting in, mostly likely the one that isn’t already predetermined at that point, but here are the two candidates, from both sides of the aisles that I am officially endorsing and hopefully you will be taking a look at more closely are your primaries near closer:
John McCain (Republican)
One of the main reasons I became so disenfranchised with politics eight years ago was McCain would have made for a much better candidate than either George Bush or Al Gore and we would not have gotten in the mess had Karl Rove and his hoodlums hadn’t spread nasty rumors in South Carolina back in 2000. Now it is time to right that wrong by putting McCain in the White House. He is by far the most experienced candidate in the field and in a time a war, what a novel idea to have an actual military man, one who actually knows what torture is and is not unlike Mitt Romney, as commander in chief. And we can blame the recent Walter Reed scandal on having sixteen years of presidents who, not only did not serve their country in a time a war, but did everything they could to avoid fighting.
Another plus to McCain is that he, unlike virtually every other candidate is above pandering, as he is the only voice of reason in Iowa who doesn’t try to get votes by promising biofuel subsidies to the state when he knows that that grain being converted to fuel is better used to feed the world and that biofuels are not that much more efficient than oil based fuels. Speaking of fuel, he is also one of the few republicans that admit that global warming is a real thing, and since he isn’t in bed with oil complains he can make it easier to wean ourselves off the stuff and make the country more energy efficient.
Again on the pandering, unlike every presidential campaign that all the sudden is a lifelong hunter, John McCain, when asked if he was a gun owner, gave the best response in that he knows how to use a gun, have used them in the past, but no longer has a need for them. A much better stance than Mike Huckabee who’s solution to inner city gun problems is right to carry permits. That’s right, to lower the murder rate, more guns are needed. Gee, how about increasing the availability of cold medicine to curb the meth problem? And let’s not forget Huckabee’s ethics problems he faced as governor. (An Arkansas governor with questionable ethics, where have I heard that before?)
Joe Biden (Democrat)
(Scooter's Update: Um, yeah, just ignore this part) Whenever I see the democrat poll I always wonder if I have entered some bizarro world because the second tier candidates like Biden, Chris Dodd, and Bill Richardson are much better candidates than the first tier of Barak Obama, Hilary Clinton, and John Edwards. Sure Clinton is right in that Obama, who would make a much better vice president than commander in chief, is too inexperienced but that is a little too much of a kettle/black situation as if her time as First Lady really qualified as experience. If so the English National Team would be calling Posh Spice on to play in the next World Cup.
When it comes to actual experience on the democratic side, Joe Biden tops the list. While Clinton and Obama knock each other foreign policy experience, Biden is currently the chairman of Foreign Relations Committee while spending thirty-two years total on it. And much like McCain, Biden isn’t beholden to big corporations and unlike the last two presidents who were, we won’t have to wonder how many criminals that will be pardoned because they or family members were big contributors (Norman Zhu anyone?).
Also like McCain, Biden is that candidate that candidate that can appeal the center. Seriously, isn’t twenty years of Bush-Clinton partisanship enough? You really don’t want to extend that to twenty-eight years, possibly thirty-six if Jeb eventually throws his hat in the ring in one of the next races. In fact a Biden-Obama ticket would be the best chance for the Democrats as long as they do not face a Repuiblican ticket headlined by McCain.
Most importantly Biden is foursquare (Scooter’s Note: For Christmas I received a Word of the Day calendar and that was today's, so if you see large words in the months ahead, that is most likely the reason why). And here is a fun fact for you The Office fans out there: Joe Biden, born in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
For those who still need more research on these and other candidates, check out the YouTube video below with question from both YouTube debates:
This being the Most Mediocre Year Ever, there is no band that sums that up better than Paramore. The bad got a big push from MTV and their record label thanks to being one of the first bands to sign a 360 degree deal. Yet with all the marketing muscle behind their three singles this year, the band wasn’t good enough to show up on this list nor were bad enough to land of the Worst Songs of 2007 list. So congratulations Paramore, with all the mediocre music put out by bland artists such as OneRepublic, Lifehouse, and Sean Kingston, you managed to be the most mediocre of them all. Although the problem with the most mediocre of them all, even though this is the Most Mediocre Year Ever, you will most likely be forgotten by 2009. Sorry.
Onto the songs that did make the list, the reason this is the Most Mediocre Year Ever is the great songs were really thin at the top this year. Most of these songs wouldn’t have cracked the top ten in other years. With that said, even though there was a lacking of great songs, there was an overabundance of good songs this year to the point that there were ten to twenty songs this year that deserved to make the top one hundred when most years ninety through one hundred are an afterthought most years. But here are the ones that made the cut for this, the last post of 2007. Hopefully I will see you all back here in 2008.
(if you want to see something really offensive, go to you library and hunt down old Bugs Bunny cartoons from the twenties and thirties, seriously, when I showed those to the class, everyone’s jaw was on the floor). 
reruns) it is doubtful you have heard any of their movies. If you happened upon the channel last Halloween you may have seen the production company’s horror film, Somebody Help Me.
fans, the suspense rarely holds up because it isn’t hard to see what is coming and it doesn’t help that the friends just disappear, we don’t see anyone actually get kidnapped until late in the way too long (100 minutes) film.
creepy) who for some reason only shows up every half an hour.
comes out or Omarion and Houston fanatic who needs to pick up everything they do. But really Somebody Help Me is about as good as you would expect from the writer, director and stars that brought us You Got Served
.![Terror Alert Level: Guarded [BLUE]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCbHfExiuXqojow1zxkBUX6j-9BHg9IyrfzqR77jnja2Xq6dbv-7iiqMFzp_UKXGcUF9FyAHqCkNxa5uitXa5Xu2Q1OboN9-TLjsaeI1a2eoGLORU4vkTQ54l1C-_cZyn81QHyQ/s400/small_guarded.png)
on my Terror Alert Scale.
![Terror Alert Level: High [ORANGE]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebDZ0qqwOVKMZj7oFSUe8Hm3ax54U9Hp1fThJPgiddTyzcdwx_5SV6E3b7hkKyxbaDiym4COmUXT2YJnsKCUjBHI_a2xZtNoY7qFQRslP5AGO5gLkJwn2ZbO0wIF80ycbKrgPPA/s400/small_high.png)
on my 
1. We are a week or so into the New Year, what is your resolution for 2008?
, since the lack of actual television, I had to go with a movie I watched this week. I may not getting around to a full review, but if you want to be gruntle, you should definitely hunt down this movie)
of all things. The closest she has come to getting back into popular culture was when Kanye West used an interpolation from her song Mystery of Iniquity for his song 
may be the best take on the song. Then there is Tell Him should be in the running as most romantic song of the nineties and should be required for any baby-making mix tape for a long time coming. Who know if we will ever get another record from Lauryn Hill, it look even less likely with Wyclef recently blaming the Fugee failed reunion on her calling her bipolar and begging her mother to get her mental help, but at least she had her act together to draw out her Miseducation.
